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tabling member constituency

Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock

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<p>Renewable heat is currently supported under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
The RHI has funding agreed out to 2021. Beyond this, the Department is developing
policy proposals for a clear framework to phase out high carbon fossil fuels for domestic
and non-domestic buildings off the gas grid in the 2020s.</p><p> </p><p>From 19 March
to 11 June 2018 we held a public Call for Evidence as a first step in developing this
policy framework. The Department aims to publish a response to the Call for Evidence
in due course.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether
his Department has assessed the potential merits of introducing a financial incentive
for processes which change timber into renewable heat products.

<p>Renewable heat is currently supported under the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
The RHI has funding agreed out to 2021. Beyond this, the Department is developing
policy proposals for a clear framework to phase out high carbon fossil fuels for domestic
and non-domestic buildings off the gas grid in the 2020s.</p><p> </p><p>From 19 March
to 11 June 2018 we held a public Call for Evidence as a first step in developing this
policy framework. The Department aims to publish a response to the Call for Evidence
in due course.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether
an assessment has been made of the potential merits of creating a regulatory body
to oversee the pricing of domestic LPG supplies.

<p>The Government believes that it is essential that domestic Liquid Petroleum Gas
(LPG) consumers get a fair deal and therefore the powers held by an independent Competition
and Markets Authority (CMA) provide the best long-term guarantee of competitive prices
and consumer protection.</p><p>The supply of bulk domestic LPG remains subject to
regulation under the Domestic Bulk LPG Investigation Order 2006 and the Domestic Bulk
LPG Investigation (Metered Estates) Order 2009 and the CMA continues to monitor compliance
by the suppliers.</p><p>We therefore have no plans to create another regulatory body
to regulate the LPG sector.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps
his Department is taking to protect consumers who are owed goods or services from
a company which has ceased trading without any apparent residual assets, particularly
in cases where the registered owner has a record of previous companies dissolving
in similar circumstances.

<p>Where a business collapses with no assets there are limited opportunities for consumers
to obtain refunds, but the Government has issued guidance to help Insolvency Practitioners
to highlight the best options to consumers.</p><p> </p><p>Where a consumer has paid
by credit card and not received the goods or the services they have paid for there
are extra protections where those goods cost between £100 and £30,000. In these cases,
the consumer can claim back the total value of their prepayment by contacting their
credit card issuing company. Consumers who purchased goods by debit card may also
be able to claim through a chargeback scheme as long as they do this within a certain
time period (normally 120 days). Further information on chargeback can be found at:
<a href="http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/individual/chargeback-for-credit-and-debit-card-purchases.asp"
target="_blank">http://www.theukcardsassociation.org.uk/individual/chargeback-for-credit-and-debit-card-purchases.asp</a>.</p><p>
</p><p>In August 2018, the Government announced its intention to extend existing powers
to investigate, disqualify and prosecute directors of insolvent companies to also
cover former directors of dissolved companies. This includes instances of directors
repeatedly dissolving companies and leaving behind debts and other liabilities – often
to the detriment of small businesses, consumers and employees.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether
he has plans to extend the Green Deal scheme to cover people that are seeking to withdraw
from a feed-in tariff contract to sell their property.

<p>The Government has no plans at present to extend the Green Deal scheme, but we
are reviewing the scheme and will consult before making any significant changes. The
interests of the consumer will be foremost in the review.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst the
Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) scheme allows for householders to assign the rights to FIT payments
to third parties, for example under a rent-a-roof scheme, it does not prescribe how
such arrangements should work; it is for the parties involved to arrive at a mutually
beneficial agreement. These are private agreements entered into between the consumer
and the third party which are not regulated by the Green Deal regulatory framework
or the FIT scheme. We would always advise householders who are considering entering
into such an agreement to seek legal advice before doing so to satisfy themselves
that the proposal being offered will be acceptable to them.</p><p> </p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he
will take steps to ban businesses found to have mis-sold green deal products from
setting up (a) similar and (b) linked businesses again.

<p>Green Deal Providers, who are responsible under the scheme for selling Green Deal
Plans, must be authorised by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy &amp; Industrial
Strategy. The authorisation process involves assessment of a wide range of factors,
including the ability to comply with the Green Deal Framework Regulations and Code
of Practice, in which past history of the applicant and its principals can be taken
into account. Authorisation can be withdrawn if a firm is found to have breached the
terms of the scheme or other consumer protection legislation.</p><p> </p><p>In addition,
the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) can remove or restrict a firm’s permission to
engage in FCA-regulated activities, including consumer credit lending or broking,
or take other supervisory or enforcement action against regulated firms and individuals.</p><p>
</p><p>The Government is reviewing the Green Deal scheme and the interests of the
consumer will be foremost in the review. We will consult on any significant changes
to the scheme.</p><p> </p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he
will establish a hydrogen and fuel cell task-force within his Department to assess
the future role of hydrogen and fuel cells in delivering clean growth and decarbonisation.

<p>The Department is undertaking a range of activity to examine and further develop
the evidence to support our own understanding of the potential role of hydrogen and
fuel cells in delivering clean growth and decarbonisation in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>We
recognise the value of engagement with partners beyond Government and work with many
bodies representing the broad range of hydrogen and fuel cell interests, including
industry groupings, regional groups, infrastructure providers, and network operators.</p><p>
</p><p>This engagement and our ongoing assessment of the developing evidence base,
shortly to include new advice from the Committee on Climate Change on meeting the
UK’s long-term climate change targets, is important in informing Government ambition
on hydrogen and fuel cells. We recognise the valuable role that Task Forces often
have in shaping action to deliver Government ambition, and in that light we will keep
the need for a specific hydrogen and fuel cell task force under review.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference
to the Government's January 2019 Clean Air Strategy, what assessment he has made of
the (a) effect on air quality of the Renewable Heat Incentive programme and (b) implications
of that effect for the future of that programme.

<p>Biomass Boilers supported under the RHI scheme must meet strict air quality and
feedstock sustainability rules. The air quality requirements ensure applicants for
both RHI schemes with a biomass boiler (including Combined Heat and Power) will need
to have emissions levels no higher than 30 grams per gigajoule (g/GJ) net heat input
for particulate matter (PM) and 150g/GJ for oxides of nitrogen (NOx), which are the
two main pollutants.</p><p>In the Clean Air Strategy, the Government committed to
consult on removing Renewable Heat Incentive Scheme support for new biomass installations
in urban areas which are on the gas grid. The Government published the consultation
<a href="https://beisgovuk.citizenspace.com/heat/rhi-biomass-combustion-in-urban-areas/"
target="_blank">Renewable Heat Incentive: Biomass Combustion in Urban Areas</a> in
May 2018, seeking views on a number of proposals including the removal of RHI support
for some or all new biomass boilers in urban areas, imposing geographical restrictions
on biogas combustion and introducing regular maintenance checks on existing biomass
boilers under the RHI. The consultation also contains an assessment of the impacts
of this policy change. We will be publishing a government response to this consultation
shortly.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps
he can take to ensure that community benefits which are the result of an agreement
to establish a wind-farm are honoured when that wind-farm changes owner or operator;
and if he will make a statement.

<p>Community benefit funds for onshore wind farms are industry led, voluntary initiatives,
which are agreed between developers and local communities in line with protocols that
have been established in England and Scotland. Trade associations are responsible
for ensuring that the protocols they have created are honoured by their signatories.</p><p>
</p><p>We have been clear that we expect developers to provide a fund for local communities
in the vicinity of their wind farms. Whilst in Coalition we worked with industry to
implement a new community benefit protocol for projects in England, to ensure communities
receive a greater level of benefit, and established an online register of English
community benefits to aid transparency and accountability. A similar protocol and
register has been established for onshore wind projects in Scotland.</p><p> </p><p>Guidance
has been produced by the UK Government to aid engagement between developers, communities
and local authorities when negotiating community benefit fund arrangements, which
is available online at:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/363405/FINAL_-_Community_Benefits_Guidance.pdf"
target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/363405/FINAL_-_Community_Benefits_Guidance.pdf</a></p><p>
</p><p>This recommends that the agreement to provide a community fund should be documented
as a legal contract between the wind farm developer and the Fund Administrator, and
that a mechanism for ensuring that the community benefit provisions continue should
be included, irrespective of who owns the wind farm.</p><p> </p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he
will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring onshore windfarm developers
to offer property owners within a set proximity to a windfarm the option of having
their property purchased at market value by those developers.